Mang Biao and his companions were all quite powerful, moving through the skies at incredible speeds.
Hovering above the clouds, the world below changed rapidly as they flew.
Soon, they arrived a thousand miles away.
At this moment, Mang Biao stopped mid-air, brushed aside the clouds before him, and laughed heartily as he looked down, "Haha, little brother, right below us is Black Wind Island, and from now on, this will be your home."
Yang Ji followed his gaze and saw a picturesque island with rolling hills, dense green forests, and the sea mirroring the mountains—a truly splendid sanctuary.
"Let's go, we're going down." Mang Biao, all smiles, put his arm around Yang Ji's shoulder and they disappeared into the grand hall above the island.
"Bring out the wine, prepare the feast, and welcome the Second Master of the Island!" Mang Biao bellowed, his voice echoing throughout the whole grand hall.
"Second Master of the Island?" The cultivators inside the hall who had never seen Yang Ji whispered among themselves with curiosity and took a few glances at him before starting to bustle about, following the orders.
By the time night fell, the Black Wind Grand Hall was full of long tables, with everyone gathered together and all sorts of spirit fruits, meats, and fine wines available.
There were even eight female cultivators dancing in the sky outside the grand hall to add to the festivities.
Bathed in moonlight, they were like immortal fairies.
Graceful and light, their skirts fluttering, tassels twirling like stars, exquisitely enchanting, and fleeting as orchids in the mist.
The long silks swirled, their dance charming, their steps light and ethereal, truly enthralling.
The lead dancer was exceptionally beautiful, each frown and smile stirring the heart, pure yet commanding, boneless in motion, and gracefully soft.
After a single dance in the sky, she stepped onto the breeze and slowly flew into the grand hall, giving Yang Ji a charming smile. The white silk ribbon she danced with struck towards him, lightly covering his face.
With one breath, Yang Ji felt a delicate fragrance strike him, rushing to his head and causing his blood to surge.
In his dazed state, the white silk ribbon slowly retracted, and a stunningly beautiful face, smiling seductively, approached closer to him.
Their noses were less than half an inch apart, close enough to share breaths.
Her alluring red lips, her fair skin, those pure yet desirous eyes—all were too tempting.
Without making a detailed observation, the dancer withdrew at a touch, and with a light laugh, she turned and flew away, leaving behind a beautiful and mysterious figure that provoked endless contemplation.
"Who is she?" Yang Ji touched the tip of his nose, still scented with her fragrance, and curiously asked.
He then found that everyone inside the grand hall, including Mang Biao seated beside him, was staring at the just-departed figure with the same peculiar smile Ximen Qing had, each with the character "lust" practically stamped on their foreheads.
Yang Ji looked at them disdainfully, and Mang Biao's subsequent comment also evoked in him a feeling of contempt.
"Ahem, she is the renowned Flower Fairy from Hundred Flowers Island, the top beauty. I spent a great sum to invite her here to perform a dance for you as a welcome. Little brother, just look and enjoy, but don't let your thoughts wander," Mang Biao said to Yang Ji with a broad grin.
Upon hearing this, Yang Ji couldn't help but cast a sidelong glance at him, as his own desires nearly shone through his eyes, and yet he was told not to let his thoughts wander.
Although the woman was beautiful, for Yang Ji, she was merely an impediment on the path to immortality.
Perhaps after achieving immortality and longevity, he could consider finding a few immortal fairies to amuse himself; the women in heaven probably had even better figures and softer bodies.
As Yang Ji thought this to himself, Mang Biao suddenly threw his arm around his shoulder, raised his cup towards the people below, and shouted,
"From now on, this gentleman beside me will be the Second Master of our Black Wind Island. Come, salute the Second Master."
"Eh? Have you all turned mute? My little brother here is an Alchemy Master. If you disrespect him, you might not get your hands on any Medicine Pills in the future," Mang Biao thundered, seeing the crowd's silence.
"Alchemy Master?" The crowd was startled, their furrowed brows relaxing, their faces lighting up with surprise and joy.
"Come on, raise your cups to the Second Master," Mang Biao urged.
"To the Second Master!" Everyone raised their cups and shouted in unison, offering their toasts to Yang Ji.
Yang Ji, sitting at the head of the table, couldn't help but feel a bit annoyed; this Mang Biao really knew how to force someone's hand, putting him on the spot.
Did he want to be a gentle brute who could intimidate at will?
But as everyone raised their cups, he also reluctantly lifted his and said with a composed smile, "Thank you, brothers, you're too kind."
"Come on, down this drink, and the Second Master will truly become one of us," Mang Biao laughed heartily and downed his cup first.
Everyone now looked to Yang Ji with their cups raised, and he had no choice but to grimly down his drink.
"Haha, good!" Mang Biao, seeing everyone drink, said, "Tonight, let's drink heartily and eat our fill until we're all completely satisfied."
Mang Biao chuckled twice, then in a hushed tone, turned to Yang Ji and said,
"Little brother, ever since I heard at Jin Suanpan's place that your alchemy skills surpass even Chang Yuan's, my admiration for you has been as boundless as the sea, and I couldn't wait to meet you to rejoice over wine."
"And today, here I am, personally bringing people to extend my invitation."
"Ahem, I'm a simple man who grew up in gangs, lacking that Immortal Qi even after taking up cultivation, and if I spoke improperly before, I hope you'll forgive me, forgive me, eh."
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"This cup, I toast to you, my younger brother. I'll down it, and if you're not good with liquor, feel free to take it easy."
Mang Biao raised a cup of liquor and gulped it down all at once.
Yang Ji had no choice but to raise his cup and take a small sip.
Mang Biao was extremely enthusiastic, pouring out his concerns one cup after another, until he got quite drunk in the middle of the night. He then lowered his voice and asked Yang Ji, "Younger brother, you said earlier that I'm almost at the point of 'deviating in my practice and becoming possessed'? Is it really that serious?"
"As a Golden Core True Person, you surely understand your situation better than I do. The invasion of demonic energy is difficult to reverse once it accumulates; you should understand the consequences," Yang Ji said flatly.
The more indifferent his tone, the more seriously Mang Biao took his words, and he asked, "Younger brother, do you have a solution?"
"Cultivation is a serious matter. If there's a problem, you surely can't sit idly by. You must have sought help already, haven't you?" Yang Ji looked at him squarely.
"I've secretly consulted with several medical and alchemy masters. They say that the True Qi in my body is too chaotic and the demonic energy too overwhelming. There are only three methods to resolve this."
"The first method is to disperse my cultivation progress and start anew, but how could I do that? Isn't that essentially digging my own grave?"
"The second method is to refine the True Qi, bit by bit extracting and purifying the demonic energy. Though seemingly feasible, the cultivation technique I've practiced doesn't possess this capability. I'm unable to purge the demonic energy that has nearly merged with my True Qi; I'm almost halfway to becoming a demon myself."
"The third method is to request an Alchemy Grandmaster to concoct a Transformation Demon Pill. But the ingredients for it are hard to find, and up to this day, I haven't found them. Moreover, the Alchemy Grandmaster won't even give me face, which makes it really difficult."
Mang Biao looked troubled, furrowing his brows deeply. He had no choice but to look at Yang Ji pleadingly and said, "Younger brother, if you say you have a method, please help me. I'll be forever grateful."
"There is a method, but..." Yang Ji glanced at Mang Biao, really not wanting to let him off so easily.
Because the solution is to use the demonic energy inside him as a catalyst, combining it with the essence of the Demon Companion Herb to concoct a different type of Demon Essence Pill.
Such a method would not only erase the demonic energy in his body but could also enhance his cultivation even further.
The obstacle in this process was the robust True Qi within Mang Biao's body.
The True Qi of a Golden Core True Person is an essence obtained through countless purifications and crystallizations of Spiritual Power, each thread compressed with boundless cultivation power, and each thread capable of transforming into a vast Spirit Sea.
If one were to refine and purify this with alchemy, thread by thread, who knows how long it would take, too time-consuming and taxing.
Those alchemy masters must have thought of such a method, but it is simply too difficult.
To concoct a furnace of Demon Essence Pill alone would require great effort, let alone purifying all of the True Qi in the body of a Golden Core True Person, which is as deep and vast as the ocean.
Who would be willing to do so for someone who isn't a close relative?
The alchemy masters weren't fools. Knowing the impossibility, they didn't suggest such a method.
But Yang Ji was different. With the help of the Golden Finger, his alchemy skills were nearly miraculous, creating Demon Essence Pills as though they were mass-produced on an assembly line. Not only would there be no mistakes, but the process was also incredibly fast.
However, Yang Ji wasn't foolish enough to reveal that his alchemy had reached such a level.
For now, he simply vaguely mentioned the general method to Mang Biao without specifying that it involved the alternative method of concocting Demon Essence Pills. The more mysterious it was, the better.
He didn't want Mang Biao to recover too soon, but he had to give him a glimmer of hope to ensure his own safety.
Mang Biao, hearing that there really was a method, was overjoyed beyond measure.
Seeing his expression, Yang Ji seized the opportunity to offer him a treatment session.
Mang Biao, upon hearing this, eagerly dragged him into the secret chamber behind the grand hall.
Yang Ji had him release a thread of True Qi, and then began refining an alternative type of Demon Essence Pill for the purpose of purifying his True Qi, using a variety of methods.
A whole day passed, and Yang Ji appeared sweating profusely and pale-faced as he completed this first treatment.
Of course, all of this was a show for Mang Biao.
Mang Biao, at this moment, looking at the purified strand of True Qi inside his body, was truly ecstatic.
He immediately grabbed Yang Ji in gratitude, even personally wiping the sweat from his forehead.
Yang Ji glanced at him, without a change in expression, and brushed his palm away, saying, "The treatment of your condition requires a large amount of Demon Companion Herb."
"The treatment of my condition requires a large amount of Demon Companion Herb?" Mang Biao echoed, surprised, then suddenly slapped his forehead and said with eyes gleaming, "Right, Demon Companion Herb can eradicate demonic energy. Is that the method you just used, younger brother?"
"You don't have to worry about the Demon Companion Herb, elder brother will find it himself," Mang Biao patted his chest confidently.
"This kind of treatment consumes a great deal of mental energy. We should only do it once a month. During this period, you can no longer take inferior Demon Essence Pills," Yang Ji said, looking up. S~eaʀᴄh the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
"I understand that," Mang Biao said eagerly, nodding his head and attentively reaching up with a cloth to wipe Yang Ji's forehead.
"In that case, you should prepare the Demon Companion Herb. The more you can get, the better, and the older, the better," Yang Ji brushed away his hand again and added the directive with a barely noticeable flicker in his expression.
"Certainly, certainly!" Mang Biao agreed wholeheartedly.
Yang Ji hummed softly, pacifying Mang Biao.
(Just one chapter today, the plot I had prepared before got overturned, and I had to sort through it again. Tomorrow will be more exciting.)
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